Wire coating apparatus



Dec. 4, 1951 R. c. KlvLEY WIRE COATING APPARATUS Filed June 17, 19425 5 Sheets-Sheet l #Nine-Nro@A RCX/VLEK ATTRNEV Dec. 4,1951 R. c. KlvLEY 2,577,132

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V N a /Nv/vof? 'N Lm Rax/VLD a l @y i N L ATTORNEY Dec. 4, 1951 R. c. KlvLEY l 2,577,132

WIRE COATING APPARATUS Filed June 17, 1949 5 Shee'ts-Sheet 3 45 /NI/ENTOR A TTORNEV Painted Dec. 4, 1951 WIRE .COATING APPARATUS Ray C. Kivley, Kenmore, N. Y., assignor to Western Electric Company, Incorporated, New York, N. Y., a corporation of New York Application June 17, 1949. Serial No. 99,792

7 Claims.

This invention relates to wire coating apparatus and more particularly to apparatus for enameling wires to be employed as insulated electricalconductors. When this type of wire is to be used for -winding coils, it is of course, essential that the coating be substantially continuous and yet not excessively thick in order to obtain coils of the proper space factor. In one wellknown type of wire enameling. machine, pluralities of wires receive their coatings in passing through grooves in a long steel roller running in a tank of enamel and provided with a doctor blade for removing the excess of enamel from the roller. When the thickness of the coating applied must be held within very close limits, it is found that a considerable proportion of the out- Fig. is an enlarged fragmentary sectional view taken along the line 5-5 of Fig. 3; l

Fig. 6 is an enlarged fragmentary sectional view of one end of the apparatus illustrating a portion of the driving means removed and the vapplicator with the roller submerged in the bath of material in the receptacle; and

Fig. 7 is an enlarged fragmentary detailed view of the connecting means between the roller sections and the structure of the bridge and underpass of the applicator.

Referring now to the drawings, the apparatus includes a tank or receptacle I0 mounted at a put of such a machine is unsatisfactory. When the machine is stopped for any extended period, the enamel hardens on the heavy roller and pre-v -sents a difficult cleaning problem in conditioning the roller for further use.

The principal object of this invention is to improve the uniformity in the thickness of the coating applied to the wires and a further object is to eliminate the necessity of cleaning the roller.

The roller comprises a plurality of sections, each short in length to conform accurately to the contour of the applicaton'removably connected together and to a suitable drive. The applicator channel, in which the roller sections rest, has bridges for supporting the end portions of the roller sections and underpasses at the bridges for conveying the material throughout the length of the applicator.

In its operating position the applicator is suD- ported above a tank of the coating material in which it may be submerged with the roller to prevent hardening of the material on the roller sections when the apparatus is not in use. When in use, the accurate registration of the roller sections with the applicator applies to the wires, a coating of the material which is of substantially constant and uniform thickness for all the wires.

Other objects and advantages will be apparent from the following detailed description when considered in conjunction with the accompanying drawings, wherein Fig. l is a fragmentary top plan view of the wire coating apparatus;

Fig. 2 is ,an enlarged fragmentary sectional view taken along the line 2-2 yof Fig. l;

Fig. 3 is a fragmentary vertical sectional view through the apparatus; v

Fig. 4 is an enlarged fragmentary sectional view taken along the line 4-4 of F13. 3;

fixed position to receive a bath of coating material II, an overflow I2 mounted in the receptacle maintaining the material at a given level.

An applicator I4 is`of a given length and has a longitudinal channel I5 in its upper surface partially conforming to a roller indicated generally at I6 to serve as a bearing support for the roller and as a wiper to control the material I I supplied to strands I1 guided over by the roller. The roller I6 is provided with a central plane section Il and grooved end sections I9. In the present embodiment of the invention there are-six grooved sections I9, three upon each side of the plane central section I8. The ends ofthe sections I8 and I9 have notches 20 therein to receive the connecting tongues or flanges 2| of couplings or connectors 22 as shown more clearly in Fig. 7. The couplings 22 are interposed between each of the sections of the roller I6 to connect them with each other and at the right end of the roller to form operative connection with a removable shaft 23.

To complete the description of the applicator I4, attention is iirst directed to the U-shaped brackets 25 and 26 mounted at opposite ends of the applicator and having threaded apertures to receive thumb screws 21 and 28 positioned to rest upon ends 29 and 30 of the tank or receptacle II and to support the applicator with the roller in the operating position shown in Fig. 3 or to function in lowering the applicator with the roller within the bath of material II- as shown in Fig. 6. A guide screw 33 carried by the bracket 2li has an inner end 34 extending into a vertical slot 35 in the end 29 to assist in guiding the applicator I4 and roller I6 when moved relative to w the entrance end of the channel I5. A supply line 40, opening into the passageway 36 and thus connected to the entrance end of the channel I5,

It will be noted that an underpass portion 42 of the entrance end of the channel extends beneath a bridge 43 which supports the inner or left end of the roller I6, while similar bridges 44 support the intermediate connected ends of the sections of the roller over underpasses 45 of the channel and a bridge 46 supports the right end of the roller adjacent an exit end 41 of the channel. The channel I5 has lower cuts or portions 50 connecting the underpasses and linking them with the supply line .40 and the exit end 41 whereby the material II may ilow continuously through the channel I5 of the applicator I4 free of the ends of the roller and the couplings and connected ends of the sections thereof.

The bracket 26 is provided with aligned apertures 53 and 54 to be aligned with an' aperture 55 in the end 36 when in the operating position to receivel the spindle 23 as well as a bearing 56 for the spindle. The end 30 for the tank I6 has a vertical groove l58 therein to receive spaced guides 59 and 60 to cooperate with the threaded element 33, or the portion 34 thereof, disposed in the groove 35 to maintain the applicator with the roller at a given position during normal operation of the apparatus and to guide the applicator with the roller into the tank I and the bath of material II disposed in the tank when the apparatus is not in use. A pin :6I mounted on the outer end of the guide 60 forms an interconnecting association with the groove '56, particularly lateral projections 62 thereof as shown in Fig. 1.

The spindle 2l has its inner end notched at 64 for operative connection with the flange ory tongue portion 2| oi' the adjacent coupling 22 and supports an annular flange 65 short of its inner end to eliminate the possibility ofthe material I I owing on the spindle to the bearing 56. A supporting clamp 61 mounted on the bracket 26 is apertured to receive and support the bearing 56 in alignment with the apertures 53 and 54, the clamp having split portions 66 which may be drawn tightly about the bearing 56 by a manually actuable threaded element 10 to removably hold the bearing 56 with the spindle 23 in operating position. A gear 1I mounted on the outer end of the spindle 23 interengages a gear 12 which is mounted upon one end of a drive shaft 13, this shaft extending through bearings 14 and a tubular sleeve 1-5 and a pulley 16 is mounted on the other left end of the shaft for operative connection through a belt 11 with a driving means (not shown).

During normal operation of the apparatus,

I with the applicator in the position shown in Fig.

3, and the spindle 23 with its gear 1I, is mounted in position and initially urged to the left (Fig. 3) to assure positive connection with the roller I6 and connection of the sections of the rollers with each other through their couplings, the thrust being absorbed by a thrust bearing 66 having a single ball-like bearing member 8l therein to engage the adjacent surface of the member 31 of the bracket 25. The multiplicity of wires to be coated are guided through a series of annular grooves 62 of the roller sections I9 and advanced longitudinally at a given rate of speed to advance the wires through the individual quantities of the material II disposed in the grooves 62 of the roller while located in the channel I5 through which the wires travel. During operation of the apparatus, the coating material II is circulated constantly through the channel I5, including its underpasses and intermediate lower portions 56 to travel beneath the bridges 43 and 44. It will be noted that the roller I6 including all of its sections I6 and I9, is journalled in the channel I6 which partially conforms to the roller to wipe excess material from the roller causing the application of only the material II which enters the grooves 62 of the roller sections I9 to be applied to the wires. Furthermore, the exit end 41 of the channel I5 is provided with a weir 85 extending to the top surface of the applicator to maintain the liquid in the channel under the roller.

When it is desirable to stop the apparatus for a given length of time, the operator may loosen the clamp 68 and remove the spindle 23 with its bearing -56 and gear 1I, after which the applicator I4 with the roller I6 may be lowered into the tank to be submerged in the bath of material II by actuating the thumb screws 21 and 28. Here the roller with the applicator may remain eliminating the possibility of the material solidifying on the applicator or the roller and conditioning them for use when it 4is desirable to again place the apparatus in operation. Before raising the applicator and roller from the bath of material II, the plug 39 is removed to prevent siphoning of the material from the applicator.

Itis to be understood that the above described arrangements are simply illustrative of the application of the principles of the invention. Numerous other arrangementsmay be readily devised by those skilled in the art which will embody the principles of the invention and fall within the spirit and scope thereof.

What is claimed is:

1. A wire coating apparatus comprising a roller grooved to guide a wire in a given path, an applicator having a channel therein partially conforming to the roller to serve as a supporting bearing for the roller, means to direct a coating fluid through the channel to coat the wire therewith as the wire travels longitudinally through the groove of, the roller, a receptacle for a bath of the coating fluid disposed beneath the applica-,5

tor and roller, and mechanisms connected to the 'l ends of the applicator to support the applicator and the roller in their coating positions and ac'- tuable to ,lower the applicator and roller in the receptacle`to submerge them into the bath of coating fluid when the apparatus is idle to maintain the coating material against hardening on the roller and applicator.

2. A wire coating apparatus comprisingl a roller grooved to guide a'wire in a given path, an applicator having a. channel therein partially conforming to the roller to serve as a supporting bearing for the roller, means to direct a coating fluid through the channel to coat the wire therewith as the wire travels longitudinally through the groove of the roller. a receptacle for a bath of the coating iiuid disposed beneath the applicator and roller, mechanisms actuable to lower the applicator and roller in the receptacle to submerge them into the bath of coating fluid when the apparatus is idle to maintain the coating material against hardening on the roller and applicator, the applicator having an upwardly exfrom the bath.

3. A wire coating apparatus comprising a roller grooved to guide a wire in a given path, an applicator having a channel therein partially conforming to the roller to serve as a supporting bearing for the roller,l means to direct a coating uid through the channel to coat the wireY therewith as the wire travels longitudinally through the groove of the roller, a receptacle for a bath of the coating fluid disposed beneath the applicator and roller, mechanisms actuable to lower the applicator and roller in the receptacle to submergeu them into the bath of coating fluid when the apparatus is idle to maintain the coating material against hardening on the roller and applicator, and elements normally retaining the `applicator with the rolleri at a given position relative to the receptacle and to serve as guides to direct movement of the applicator in a given path into and out of the bath.

4. A wire coating apparatus. comprising a roller having a plurality of sections, means inter-v posed between the sections of the roller to connect them in axial alignment, an applicator having a channel therein partially conforming to the roller to serve as a supporting bearing therefor and to maintain the sections ofthe roller in axial alignment with each other, and vmeans to direct a coating uid through the channel to coat the wire therewith as the wire travels longitudinally through the groove of the roller, the applicator also having bridge portions adjacent the connecting means for the ends of the roller sections with adjacent underpasses for the coating fluid to respectively support the connecting means and the ends of the roller sections and to direct the coating uid away therefrom.

5. A wire coating apparatus comprising a roller grooved to guide a wire in a given path,

an applicator having a channel therein partially conforming to the roller to serve as a supporting bearing for the roller, means to direct a coating l fluid through the channel to coat the wire there- -with as the wire travels longitudinally through the groove of the roller, a, receptacle for a bath oi' the ,coating fluid disposed beneath the applicator and roller, mechanisms actuable to lower the applicator and roller in the receptacle to submerge them into the bath of coating fluid when the apparatus is idle to maintain the coating material against hardening on the roller and applicator, and a driving mechanism including a spindle normally connected to one end of the roller and removable from connection with the roller to free the roller for movement with the applicator into the bath.

6. A wire coating apparatus comprising a roller grooved to guide a wire in a given path, an applicator having a, channel therein partially conforming to the roller to serve as a supporting bearing for the roller, means to direct a coating uid through the channel to coat the Wire therewith as the wire travels longitudinally through the groove of the roller, a receptacle for a bath o f the coating uid disposed beneath the applicator and roller, mechanisms actuable to lower the applicator and roller in the'receptacle to sublmerge them into the bath of coating fluid when the apparatus is idle to maintain the coating material against hardening on the roller and applicator, a driving mechanism including a spindle normally connected to one end of the roller and removable from connection with the roller to free the roller for movement with the applicator into the bath, a bearing for the spindle iixedly assembled on the shaft, a clamp to removably receive and firmly hold thebearing with the spindle in operative engagement with the adjacent end of the roller, and a thrust bearing mounted at the opposite end of the roller to absorb the thrust of the spindle.

7. A wire coating apparatus comprising a roller having .a plurality of sections disposed in general alignment with each other, certain of the sections being grooved to guide wires in given paths, an element interposed between the adjacent ends of the sections to connect the roller sections together, an applicator having a chan- .f

nel therein partially conforming to the roller to serve as a supporting bearing therefor and to' maintain the sections of the roller and the connecting elements in general alignment with each other, and means to direct a coating uid through the channel to coat ,the wires therewith as the wires travel longitudinally through the grooves of the roller, the applicator also having a bridge portion, adjacent the connecting element and the adjacent ends of the roller sections with an underpass for the coating uid to support the connecting element and the adjacent ends of the roller sections and to direct the coating uid away therefrom.

RAYO. KIVLEY.

J REFERENCES CITED The following references are of record inthe file of this patent:

UNITED STATES PATENTS Number Name Date 2,289,862 Bailey July 14, 1942 2,462,474 Delano' Feb. 22, 1949 

